Electric rotary switch



G. JACHMANN ELECTRIC ROTARY SWITCH Filed June 19, 1923 Aug. 11, 1925.

Patented Aug, ll, I925.

sauna rare GEORG JACHMANN, OE BERLIN-FRIEDENAU, GERMANY.

ELECTRIC ROTARY SWITCH.

Application filed. June 19, 1923.

T 0 all 10 ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnono JAOI-IMANN, a citizen of the German Republic, residing at Berlin-l riedenau, Isoldestrasse 6, Prussia, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Electric Itotary Switch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to rotary electric switching means and it is intended to facilitate the operation and to generally improve the constructions of devices of this kind. In particular the invention refers to an electric rotary switch with corrugated or undulatory slideway for the contact bridge. In accordance with my invention the shaft of the rotary handle of the device is provided with a sleeve operatively connected therewith and with the contact bridge, loosely and independently rotatably mounted thereon by means of a stud or the like attached to the shaft of the handle and adapted to carry the sleeve along in its movement with play, the said sleeve being, moreover, longitudinally displaceable against the action of a spring, and with relation to the shaft and the contact bridge. By reason of this construction of rotary switch the object is accomplished among other advantages that the movement of the contact bridge from the summits to the depressions of the undulatory slide-way by the influence of the spring is effected in an entirely automatic manner and independently of the rotary handle, so that by its movement the handle is prevented from producing any unpleasant jerking movement, otherwise caused by the action of the spring upon the hand of the operator. Furthermore, there is the advantage that this automatic movement of the contact bridge is very rapidly efiected, so as to produce a most favorable condition for the establishing of the contact. These advantages are realized both for the left hand movement as well as in the right hand movement of the switch, and I am thereby enabled to produce a switch of great reliability of operation, and easily and smoothly operable in both directions. Then, inasmuch as the new rotary switch is made up of only a few simple parts, it may be easily manufactured and readily assembled, and possesses great durability.

My invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying draw- Serial No. 646,482.

ing, showing by way of example an embodiment of the principles of the invention in Figure 1 in longitudinal section through the switch, while Figure 2 is a top plan view of the base and of the contact bridge of the switch. In Figure 3 an evolution of the undulatory slideway of the contact bridge is shown, and Figures 4: and 5 are illustrations of the sleeve or follower in plan View and side view respectively.

Upon the base plate Z) the shaft 0 with handle a. is rotatably mounted upon which the follower sleeve 6 of insulating material is loosely and rotatably arranged, so as to be longitudinally displaceable'. The sleeve 6 is carried along in the movement of the shaft 0 by the stud cl which latter is free to move with play in a recess or guide slot Z of the sleeve 0, saidslot being provided with two inclined faces at ascending from the lowest point is. The bottom part of the sleeve e is four-cornered at It and with this part projects into a four-cornered aperture or recess of the contact bridge 9, so as to be longitudinally displaceable in relation thereto. The contact bridge 9 is forced into the slideway a by means of a spring 7 which rests against the upper enlarged annulus of the sleeve 6, and is carried along by the rotary movement of the sleeve 6, caused by the rotation of the four-cornered terminal piece h. The stationary contacts are arranged in the depressions of the undulatory slideway n.

Upon the rotation of the handle'a towards the right or left, the follower pin or stud d of the shaft 0 ascends from the deepest point A upon one or the other inclined surface in the recess Z of the sleeve 6 without, however, causing rotation of the sleeve 6, which latter is thereby downwardly displaced and compresses the spring f. Upon continuing the rotation of the handle a the follower pin (Z having now arrived at the end of the recess Z carries the sleeve 6 along in its rotary movement, and the sleeve, by means of the four cornered portion h, rotates the contact bridge g, so as to cause it to be raised upon the next summit of the undulatory slideway a. The spring 7 is thereby additionally compressed and tensioned by the ascending contact bridge 9, and in consequence thereof, the contact bridge Z having moved beyond the highest point of the slideway n, is caused to become snappingly engaged with the next depression and to assume the contact establishing position. The rotary handle (6, however, does not share in this vigorous spring movement, inasmuch as the sleeve 6 is displaced with relation to the pin (Z for half the width of the recess Z. The jerk accompanying the throwing forward of the contact bridge 6 is therefore not felt by the hand of the operator taking hold of the handle a. lhe pin 03 is now again lodged at the deepest point Z3 of the inclined recess or slot Z, so that upon continuing the rotation of the switch the entire cycle of operations is repeated.

While the invention has been shown as a preferred embodiment of exempliiication of the principles thereof, it should be understood that it is susceptible of modifications and changes within the meaning of the claims hereunto appended and without deviating from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. In an electric rotary switch in combination, an undulatory slideway, contact pieces on said slideway, a contact bridge movable into and out of engagement with the slideway, an axially displaceable sleeve engageable with said contact bridge, a spring connection between said sleeve and said bridge, a rotary handle, engageable with said sleeve, and means to mount said sleeve on the handle for independent axial movement relatively thereto. 7

2. In an electric rotary switch in combination, an undulatory slideway, contact pieces on said slideway, a contact bridge movable into and out of engagement with 7 independent said slideway, a rotary operating handle, a spring actuated sleeve loosely surrounding said handle, and mounted thereon for axial movement relatively thereto; interengaging, substantially inclined guiding means on said sleeve and said handle, and means on said sleeve engageable with said contact bridge.

3. In an electric rotary switch in combination, an undulatory slideway, contact pieces on said slideway, a contact bridge movable into and out of engagement with said slideway, a rotary operating handle, a spring actuated sleeve loosely surrounding said handle and mounted thereon for inde pendent axial movement, relatively thereto, substantially V-shaped guiding means on said sleeve, and means on said handle engaging said guiding means, and means on said sleeve engageable with said contact bridge.

4. In an electric rotary switch in combination, an undulatory slideway, contact pieces in the depression of said slideway, a contact bridge movable into and out of engagement with said slideway, a rotary operating member, a spring actuated member mounted on said operating member and adapted for axial movement thereon, substantially V- shaped guiding means on one of said members, and projections on the other member engageable therewith, and means on the axially movable member engageable with said contact bridge.

In testimony whereof, I ai'iix my signature.

GEORG JAOHMANN. 

